Acclaimed singer-songwriter Holly Williams will perform at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Ruffed Grouse Tavern at the Highlander Mountain House in Highlands. 

Jam-rock ensemble Prophets of Time will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva. 

Featuring works from faculty artisans at Western Carolina University, the 2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be displayed Jan. 21 through May 2 in the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. 

Popular Asheville-based Americana/folk act Zoe & Cloyd will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. 

Pisgah High School’s art department is in need of a working kiln, leaving students without the opportunity to explore ceramics — a transformative art form that fosters creativity, confidence and hands-on skill development. 

A special stage production of “The Story of My Life” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21-22, 28, March 1 and 2 p.m. Feb. 23 and March 2 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

Join the Nantahala Hiking club this weekend for a training session to educate people how to become “trail ambassadors.”

The session will be held with the upcoming surge of northbound Appalachian Trail hikers that will hit Western North Carolina in the next couple of months.

The Cherokee Preservation Foundation awarded 10 grants to partners within Western North Carolina. Grants totaled more than $2.1 million and were awarded to projects advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and neighboring communities. 

Pancake Day at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville is once again on the horizon. Lining up to get a plateful of pancakes, bacon and sausage on the last Tuesday in February is a tradition in the mountain community that dates back to 1956.  

The planting season is getting closer, and Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

The Maggie Valley Band will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville.

A blend of old-time mountain, Americana and psychedelic indie-folk music, the Haywood County group is fronted by siblings Whitney and Caroline Miller. 

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will host two readings:

• Chris Aluka Berry, author of “Affrilachia: Testimonies,” will speak with Ann Miller Woodford at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.

Musical duo Brian Ashley Jones and Melanie Jean will perform from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. 

Sponsored by the Waynesville Rotary Club, the annual “Chili Cook-Off Stroll” will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at participating locations around downtown Waynesville. 

After serving as the executive director of Haywood Pathways Center since 2017, Mandy Haithcox is stepping down. Haithcox and her family will be moving back to Minnesota where aging family members live and need the comfort of family in their midst. 

The spring semester is underway at Western Carolina University and that means looking at how the university’s enrollment is shaping up for the first few weeks of the new year. 

The Haywood County Republican Party will proceed with its regular organizational meetings this year, but with important changes for attendees.

Precinct meetings will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Haywood County GOP Headquarters, 297 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville.

As part of the Great Backyard Bird Count initiative, a global community science project that helps researchers understand how birds are doing before they undertake their great spring migration, Mainspring Conservation Trust is hosting its own event. 

The U.S. Forest Service has reopened more trails and roads throughout areas of the Pisgah National Forest’s Appalachian Ranger District in Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. 

WNC Communities is now accepting nominations for the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.

This prestigious honor recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the agricultural sector, driving sustainability and growth in the region. 

FIND Outdoors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting outdoor education, recreation and conservation, announced a variety of seasonal and full-time job opportunities for the 2025 season. 

A special performance of Ballet Hispánico will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

Missing hiker Ann Houghton, 73, was found deceased in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Feb. 2 at approximately 1:53 p.m. She was found roughly a quarter mile off of Enloe Creek Trail. 

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in. 

Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk. 

Proper Golfing Academy, a senior golfers retreat based in the United Kingdom, is coming to Lake Junaluska Golf Course in April for its first appearance in the United States.

Visitors to The North Carolina Arboretum can witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” 

Youth who exhibited livestock at the N.C. State Fair are eligible to apply for N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Scholarships.

The application period is open through March 1. Up to 25 $2,000 scholarships are available, in addition to one $2,500 Farm Credit of N.C. Premier Scholarship.

On Jan. 31, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, alongside Dogwood Health Trust, unveiled a $30 million grant program to aid small businesses in Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Haywood Christian Ministry’s food infrastructure is moving to a new facility in Bethel.  

HCM’s new food plan aims to ensure equitable food distribution across the county, not just in the population centers.

REACH of Haywood County is sponsoring a free training for all community leaders, law enforcement personnel, social workers, healthcare professionals and concerned citizens from Haywood and surrounding counties. 

Western Carolina University officially kicked off the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s 136-year history, an effort to secure $100 million in philanthropic support with a focus on increasing the financial resources necessary for long-delayed upgrades in facilities used by Catamount student-athletes. 

The Conservation Fund announced that a critical property in the Great Balsam Mountains is protected as forest and natural land.

The call has gone out for snowboarders to submit their best clips for the Cat Classic, which offers cash prizes for the best videos across different divisions.

Videos should be filmed between Jan. 1 and March 1. 

The Cradle of Forestry in America and the U.S. Forest Service (Pisgah Ranger District) announced a collaboration with the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) to complete deferred maintenance and Hurricane Helene-related repairs at the historic Cradle of Forestry site. 

Haywood County offers resources for farmers needing hay are encouraged to contact the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office to speak with a livestock agent. 

The new Jackson County Aquatics Center is hiring five full-time lifeguards. Employees are entitled to full benefits other Jackson County employees receive.

Anyone interested in enrolling their child in summer camp in Haywood County should take part in the Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department’s survey.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville has announced the launch of its “Spring Semester Theatre Classes,” which will run Jan. 27 through April 4. 

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville has announced the launch of the HCAC Helene Support Grant.

Designed to provide financial assistance to HCAC artist members who have been significantly impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the application process is currently underway.

The Plunge is back for its 13th consecutive year. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) and Lake Junaluska Assembly are hosting the annual “Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek & Environmental Education.” 

MountainTrue, in partnership with the Mainspring Conservation Trust and the Pinnacle Park Foundation, is hosting a community volunteer workday to control non-native invasive plants and restore native habitat at the Pinnacle Park in Sylva. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking help to identify and document former homesite locations within the park. Volunteer-In-Park Frank March, in conjunction with Park Archeologist Allison Harvey, is leading these research efforts which includes documenting field locations with associated historic records.

 The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is requesting applications from qualifying organizations that support the agricultural industry, impact rural communities, and stimulate economic development.

Haywood Waterways Association sent word last week that its staff and vounteers are hearing from one of their partners that they are working with the state to assess damage to private roads from compromised culverts or bridges. 

The N.C. Forest Service has designated the fire danger for the state’s far western counties as high.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) advises the public that black bears in North Carolina are in their “winter homes,” which could be anything from a pile of brush, a hollowed-out tree, a rock cavity, an excavation under a fallen tree or even under the deck or in the crawl space of your home. 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park fisheries department is offering an informative and educational workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 22, in the Old Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. The workshop is open to any interested folks at no charge.